There's a bridge across Melbourne's upside down river and off that bridge fly the intrepid Birdmen, the event a televised highlight of Melbourne's annual and very parochial festival, Moomba.Every year, madmen fling themselves off this bridge for the honour of having taken part in the Birdman Rally.
There are always party poopers though like the hang gliders who fly 17 metres and win the trip to to Thailand but generally it's people like the "mild-mannered 36-year-old banker from Hawthorn", Simon Spinks, who flew as Super Unicorn Man.
In my years in Australia I always wanted to ahve a go at this but was more interested in being the party pooper and winning that trip to Thailand with my own kite design. Alas, it never happened.
There are always people doing these things. You remember Eddie the Eagle of course.Were you for him at the time or did you think he was making a right prat of himself?
He came last, of course - too heavy, short-sighted and self-funded - an amateur in a professionally amateur world:
His lack of success endeared him to people all across the globe. The worse he did, the more popular he became. He subsequently became a media celebrity and appeared on talk-shows around the world. The press nicknamed him "Mr. Magoo", and one Italian journalist called him a "ski dropper".
The widespread attention that Edwards received in Calgary turned into a large embarrassment for the ski jumping establishment. Many athletes and officials felt that he was 'making a mockery' of the sport.
Shortly after the Olympics finished, the entry requirements were greatly toughened, making it next to impossible for anyone to follow his example.
At the closing ceremony the president of the Games singled him out for his contribution: "At this Games some competitors have won gold, some have broken records and one has even flown like an eagle."
At that moment, 100,000 people in the stadium roared 'Eddie! Eddie!'. It was the first time in the history of the games that an individual athlete had been mentioned in the closing speech.
Excuse me but I find that simply fabulous.
Me, too. What a boring world it without people like that.
ReplyDeleteI'd love to have a go at something like the Birdman. It sounds great fun. As for teh Olympics I may be a romantic but I think it needs people like Eddie the eagle, Eric the Eel and the Jamaican bobsleigh guys almost as much as it needs a Steve Redgrave, a Nadia Commaneci or a Teofilio Stevenson
ReplyDeleteAbsolutely right - both.
ReplyDeleteI think everyone loved Eddie. Well except the pompous ski jump people. He epitomized everyone who really want to do so something for love of it but are not top notch at it. The majority of us.
ReplyDeleteEddie was the epitome of the amateur unlike the well funded competitors he was up against. Fantastic.
ReplyDeleteHe got up, he had a go and thats what I admire more in people than winning. Give it your best shot, coming first doesn't always make one a winner.
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